Bulk cargo handling system and method

ABSTRACT

A system for transporting bulk cargo within conventional freight containers which includes a disposable container liner adapted to be positioned within a container or truck. The liner includes a flexible bag member having the open end or ends closed by bulkheads. Openings, which are normally sealed during transport of the container, are provided in the rear bulkheads for facilitating loading and unloading of the liner.

[451 Oct. 10, 1972 United States Patent Bodenheimer [54] BULK CARGOHANDLING SYSTEM 3,574,332 .214/49 AND METHOD 3,386,605 LaFont......................220/l.5 nven or fmn n men 8 0rd 3,171,4493/1965 Ellms et a]. ............2l4/305 X [73] Assignee: Sea-LandService, Inc., Elizabeth Primary Examiner-Robert G. SheridanAttomeyDavid Rabin [22] Filed: Oct. 26, 1970 ABSTRACT A system fortransporting bulk cargo within conventional freight containers whichincludes a disposable container liner adapted to be positioned within acontainer or truck. The liner includes a flexible bag member having theopen end or ends closed by bulkheads. Openings, which are normallysealed during transport of the container, are provided in the rearbulkheads for facilitating loading and unloading of the 1 a w .m I

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SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR BERT ABODENHEIMER {A FIG.

BULK CARGO HANDLING SYSTEM AND METHOD This application is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 2l966 filed 23 Mar. I970,now abandoned, for BULK CARGO HANDLING SYSTEM.

BACKGROUND, BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates generally to the handling of bulk cargo and more particularly toa system for handling bulk cargo in conventional cargo containers ortrucks.

In the past, problems have been encountered in loading and unloadingflexible bulk cargo liners positioned within standard freightcontainers. One of the major problems encountered in loading of suchcontainer liners is that of removing air from within the liner asmaterial is forced or being blown into the liner through a loading pipe.In addition, unloading problems have been experienced due to the linercollapsing and choking the discharge opening or due to the liner beingsucked into the discharge opening when removing the cargo by vacuum.Unsuccessful attempts have been made to overcome the unloading problemsby providing hooks on the bags adapted to be secured to correspondingeyes secured to the container interior walls.

In addition, problems have been encountered in transferring conventionalpermanent type bulkheads to and from the containers, as well asproviding storage for the bulkheads when not in use. Normally theconventional bulkheads are of heavy metal or wood construction.

The bulk cargo handling system of the present invention avoids theundesirable characteristics of the bulk cargo handling systems presentlyavailable.

Briefly, the invention utilizes a throw-away type bag or tube memberhaving open ends closed by disposable bulkheads constructed oflightweight, relatively inexpensive materials for transporting bulkcargo within conventional freight containers. The freight containers maybe of the type disclosed, for example, in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,044,653 and3,085,707 which are adapted to be transferred between land vehicles andmarine vessels which containers are capable of being stacked insuperposed relation upon a large seagoing vessel.

The disposable bag may be maintained in a generally opened conditionwithin a conventional container by adhesive provided either on thecontainer inner walls or the exterior portions of the bag member. in theevent the liner is provided with a bulkhead at each end, the bulkheadsmay be wedged conveniently between the container side walls formaintaining the bag in an opened condition. The bulkheads, which may beformed of heavy cardboard, are supported by the container end wallsand/or by being frictionally supported between the container side wallsin an uprightcondition. Thus, the bulkheads are permitted to float or bedisplaced longitudinally of the container'during loading and duringtransport of the container due to the bulk cargo within the liner.Therefore, load applied to the bulkheads by the product is transferreddiiectly to the container rear doors and/or front wall. The bulkmaterial is loaded through an opening adjacent the top of the rearbulkhead. A vent opening, adapted to receive a vent pipe and filtertherein, permits air to be discharged from within the bag member as itis being filled with the bulk material. An opening at the base of therear bulkhead, which may be sealed by the bag member or other suitablematerials, is adapted to be pierced by an unloading chute or othersuitable means for removing material from within the bag. Thefrictionally positioned bulkheads and/or adhesive retains the bag inposition as the material is loaded and unloaded by vacuuming suctionmeans or by mounting the container or truck on a tilt platform. Thecontainer may be reutilized for transporting freight merely by removingthe disposable bag and bulkheads and spraying a suitable adhesivesolvent on adhesive areas, if any, of the inner container walls forremoval of adhesive therefrom.

One of the primary objects of the invention is a system for handlingfreight or bulk cargo within a container without permanent modificationthereto.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a liner for use inany conventional freight container which assures contamination-freehandling of bulk cargo.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a means forremoving air from within the container liner as the liner is beingfilled.

One feature of the invention is the provision of a liner package adaptedto be readily and conveniently positioned within a container in anopened condition.

Another important feature is the provision of a system for retaining theflexible liner bag in position during evacuation of the bulk materialfrom within the container.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a simple andinexpensive system for converting a standard freight container into abulk cargo container.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a top plan view of aconventional box-like container, with the top portion removed toillustrate a flexible cargo-receiving bag positioned therein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container liner with the flexible,cargo-receiving bag having the open end sealed by a bulkhead or closuremember;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side sectional view of the bag closure memberillustrating the vent pipe and cargo loading pipe positioned therein;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, top plan view with parts removed, illustratingthe bag, closure member, vent and cargo loading pipes positioned withinthe closure member;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the container with rear doors openmounted upon a tilt platform having a supporting structure for the bagclosure member;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the bag member as it normally wouldbe positioned within a container illustrating a cargo-unloading chutepositioned within an opening in the bag closure member;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of a containerliner of the present invention illustrating bulkheads at each end of thebag member;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the outermost bulkhead of FIG. 7having the bag member attached thereto;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 1-6, referencenumeral designates a conventional container of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,044,653 and 3,085,707 having a liner 12 positionedtherein for receiving bulk cargo. The liner 12 includes a flexible,disposable bag member 14, which may be constructed of kraft paper orpolyethylene, and a bulkhead 16 for closing the open end of the bagmember.

The bag 14 may be of a generally box-like configuration, as shown byFIG. 2, which conforms generally to the interior dimensions of thecontainer 10 but may equally well be made of a single tubularcross-section having a second, solid bulkhead to act as a closure forthe opposite end of the tube as shown by FIGS. 7-12. The edge portions18 adjacent the open end of the bag are folded over and secured to thebulkhead 16 adjacent the-outer periphery thereof. Adhesive or othersuitable means provides an airtight seal between the bulkhead l6 and theedge portions 18. In order to support and maintain the flexible bag 14generally in the configuration of FIG. 2, contact adhesive 20 or otherequivalent securing means is provided on the container interior walls atpreselected locations. The adhesive areas 20 retain bag 14 in positionbefore and during loading of cargo into the liner l2, and prevent thebag from collapsing when the cargo is evacuated from the liner 12.

The bulkhead 16 includes a generally rectangular or square closuremember 28 having spaced support or block members 30, which may bevertically or horizontally disposed, secured thereto for transmittingthe cargo load to the container rear doors 32 when the doors are in theclosed position. The closure member 28 may be constructed of heavy dutycardboard while blocks 30 may be of wood or cardboard construction. Ascan be observed from FIG. 4, the width of closure member 28 is greaterthan the distance between the container rear corner posts 26 andgenerally corresponds to the distance between the container side wallsfor helping to retain the bulkhead 16 within the container 10.

A plurality of openings is provided within the bulkhead 16 forfacilitating loading and unloading of the cargo. A caiigo loadingopening 34 is provided in the upper portion of the bulkhead 16 forreceiving a'cargo loading pipe36. The bulk cargo is forced or blownthrough the pipe 36 in a conventional manner as the pipe is displacedlongitudinally of the bag member 14 and container 10 to distribute theload evenly within the bag. As the liner 12 is filled through opening34, means must be provided for permitting air to escape from within theliner. A vent opening 35 is located adjacent the loading pipe opening 34for receiving a vent pipe 38 which permits the discharge of air used inblowing the cargo into the liner. The vent pipe 38 may be equipped withan appropriate filter 40 for preventing dust build-up in the cargoloading areas. The openings 34 and 35 are located well above the finalproduct line within the liner 12. After loading, the openings 34 and 35are sealed by a heavy paper or polyethylene sheet 42 and 44 havingcontact adhesive or equivalent means around the periphery which adheresto the bulkhead 16.

A heavy blower 41 and flexible pipe 39 may be connected to vent pipe 38to remove as much air as possible from the liner 12 after loadingtoprevent condensation of moisture onto the product, since the linerwill not be completely filled and temperature changes during the voyagemay occur.

The bulk cargo can be evacuated from the liner 12 by conventionalvacuuming techniques or by tilting the container 10. For unloadingpurposes, an opening 46 is located adjacent the base of bulk-head 16.The opening 46, which extends substantially the full width of thebulkhead, is initially covered by the lower edge portion 18 of the bagmaterial and sealed to the bulkhead 16, as shown by FIGS. 2 and 3. Priorto unloading the material, sealing opening 46 is pierced to permitmaterial to be discharged therethrough. Preferably the bag material ispierced by an unloading chute or duct 48, having exterior dimensionscorresponding substantially to the interior dimensions of opening 46, asthe duct is forced through the opening, as shown by FIG. 6. When tiltunloading is used, the filled container 10 is mounted upon a platform 50which is hinged to supports 52 by suitable pins 54. Fluid cylinderarrangements 56, one positioned on each side of platform 50, areprovided to tilt container 10 and platform 50 about pins 54 tofacilitate removal of cargo from the container.

A support structure 58, including a plate 60, is provided at the rear ofplatform 50 for supporting the bulk head 16 after the container doors 32have been opened before the platform is tilted to the desired angle.Thus as the cargo weight shifts to the bulkhead 16, the load istransmitted to the support structure 58 without imposing any significantstress to the bulkhead 16. A support structure opening 62, correspondingin size to the opening 46, is located in alignment with bulkhead opening46 for receiving the unloading chute 48.

In operation of the bulk cargo handling system, contact adhesive issprayed at designated areas on the interior walls of a conventionalfreight container prior to installation of the disposable liner 12therein. The liner 12 is placed within the container and the bag 14adhe-' sively secured to the container interior walls, as shown byFIG. 1. Alternatively, the bag 14 may be provided with adhesive areas onthe exterior portions thereof for contacting the container interiorwalls and maintaining the bag in an opened condition for receiving bulkcargo therein. The edge portions 18 of the bag have previously beenfolded over and sealed to the bulkhead. Note that the lowermost edgeportion 18 is sufficiently large to cover the unloading opening 46. Thebag may be positioned by inflating it with air through pipe 36 beforethe product is admitted through pipe 36.

Pipe 38 including filter 40 is inserted within opening 35 to vent theliner 12 as it is filled with material being fed through the loadingpipe 36. Upon completion of the loading of material, pipes 36 and 38 areremoved and the openings 34 and 35 are sealed by heavy paper or othersuitable means. The container doors are closed, with the inner wallsabutting blocks 30 of bulkhead 16 to provide support for the relativelylight bulkhead, and the container transported to the desired location.Upon arrival at its destination, the container is mounted upon thetiltable platform 50 with the rear doors opened and with the bulkhead 16positioned against support structure 58 to transfer the bulk cargo loadthereto. The unloading chute is inserted through support structureopening 62 and into the liner 12 by piercing the bag portion 18 coveringbulkhead opening 46, before the platform has been tilted to the desireddegree. A blower 45 may be provided at the unloading site to blow airthrough flexible pipe 43 and opening 35, after removal of the paperclosure 42, to inflate the bag fully and toprovide makeup air as thecargo is discharged from the liner 12. As the bulk material isdischarged through the chute 48, the contact adhesive prevents the bag14 from collapsing and choking the chute.

If the material is unloaded from the liner 12 by vacuuming, rather thanby tilting the container 10, the adhesive holds the bag and prevents itfrom being sucked into the discharge opening 46 in bulk-head 16.

After the material has been evacuated from the container, the bulkhead16 and bag member 14 are removed therefrom. Any adhesive materialremaining on the container interior walls may be sprayed with a suitablesolvent to remove the adhesive.

FIGS. 7-12 illustrate a modified embodiment of the container liner 64incorporating two bulkheads 66, 68 and a flexible bag or tube 70attached between the bulkheads. The bulkheads'66, 68 are capable ofvertically supporting themselves when properly positioned within theextreme inside front and rear of a container.

Each bulkhead includes a wall 72 formed of cardboard or other suitablematerials having lip portions or members 74 extending at right anglesrelative thereto. The spacing between the lip members 74 generallycorresponds to the spacing between the side walls of a container inwhich the liner is to be installed such that the bulkhead can be forcedor wedged between the container side walls to maintain the bag member 70in a generally opened condition as shown by FIG. 7.

The rearwardmost bulkhead 66 is provided with a plurality of openings inthe wall 72 for facilitating loading and unloading of the liner 64. Theuppermost portions of wall 72 have openings 76 therein for loading ofbulk cargo into the liner. The bulk cargo may be loaded by being forcedor blown through a pipe or conduit, similar to pipe 36 of FIG. 3, whichmay be inserted into one of the openings 76. A suitable vent arrangementmay be mounted within the other opening 76 to vent the liner to theatmosphere during loading and to remove air from within the liner afterloading to prevent moisture condensation therein. The lower portions ofthe wall 72 of bulkhead 66 are provided with openings 78 forfacilitating unloading of the bulk cargo from the container by vacuumingtechniques or by tilting the container.

One or more horizontally extending supports 80 having a lengthcorresponding substantially to the width of the wall 72 may be attachedthereto for transmitting the cargo load to the container rear doors. Thelower edge of support may be provided with a slot 84 to form a hand gripwhen installing or removing the bulkheads. An additional support 82,somewhat similar to support 80, may be positioned below support 80 andoverlapping the openings 78.

Bulkhead 68 is constructed similar to the rear bulk head 66 with theexception of the openings and the horizontally extending supports 80,82.

To completely seal the cargo within the liner and prevent productcontact with the cardboard bulkheads, a sheet of polyethylene orsuitable material 86 conforming generally to the shape of the bulk-headmay be secured to the inside of each bulkhead, as shown by FIGS. 8-1 1The bag or tube 70, preferably formed of polyethylene, is attached tothe bulkheads by adhesive or other fastening means. As shown by FIGS. 7,10 and 11, side portions 84 of the bag member may be secured to theinner edges of the lips 74 and/or the inner side of wall 72. Asillustrated, the portions 84 overlap the edge portions of sheet 86. Theupper and lower portions 88 of the bag 70 extend over the edges of andare secured to the bulkheads.

As shown by FIGS. 7 and 9, the portions 88 overlap sufficiently to closeor seal the openings 76 and 78 of the bulkhead 66. Therefore, theopenings may be sealed by the bag portions 88 and/or the sheet 86, theportions and sheet capable of being readily pierced when the liner is tobe loaded or unloaded.

Alternatively, the end portions of the bag member 70 may be secured tothe bulkheads by various methods. For example, the bag may be secured tothe bulkheads in a manner similar to that shown by FIG. 2. This wouldnecessitate sealing of openings 76, 78 by heavy paper or polyethylenesheet, as disclosed in FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 illustrates a liner package before installation within acontainer. The flexible bag 70, having open end portions secured to thebulkheads, is positioned between the bulkheads in a folded or accordianfashion. Bands 90 which extend around the bulkheads retain the liner inpackage form until ready for installation within a container. The liner12 of FIGS. 1-6 may be packaged in a similar manner.

Normally, the outer edge portions of the bulkheads frictionally engageor are wedged between the container side walls rather than being rigidlysecured thereto. Therefore, since the bulkheads are not secured to thecontainer, a floating action or shifting movement of the bulkheads ispermitted during loading or shifting of the cargo to transfer loadimparted on the bulkheads directly to the container front wall and/orrear doors.

While the liner 12 has been described as having one bulkhead and theliner 64 as having two bulkheads, it is to be understood that either bagmember 14 or 70 may have one or both ends closed by bulkheads.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for transporting bulk cargo comprising a container havingwall means defining a door opening and door means secured to said wallmeans, liner means positioned within said container for receivingthebulk cargo, including a flexible, hollow bag having at least one openend and means for closing said open end, means for releasablypositioning said liner between said container wall means for maintainingsaid liner in an opened condition therein during loading and unloadingof said liner means, and displaceable means for supporting saidcontainer and said liner means during unloading of the bulk cargotherefrom, said closure means comprising a flexible, lightweight,bulkhead for transmitting the cargo load directly to said supportingmeans.

2. Apparatus for transporting bulk cargo as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid supporting means includes a tiltable loading platform having astructure for abutting said flexible bulkhead for receiving forcesapplied to said bulkhead by said bulk cargo.

3. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a container having sidewalls, an end wall, a bottom, and a rear opening normally closed by atleast one door comprising the steps of; simultaneously placing adisposable, lightweight, cargo liner including a flexible bag memberhaving at least one flexible bulkhead secured thereto, within acontainer, placing the bag member in the container in a generally openedcondition while positioning the flexible bulkhead adjacent the dooropening such that forces applied by the bulk cargo within the liner willbe transmitted to the bulkhead which yields and engages the rear door toapply the forces directly to the container door, loading the liner witha predetermined amount of bulk cargo by forcing the bulk cargo throughan opening in the flexible bulkhead, transporting the container, linerand bulk material to a designated location, and evacuating the bulkcargo from within the liner while maintaining the positioning of the bagmember within the container.

4. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a container as recitedin claim 3, wherein the flexible bag member has a flexible bulkheadsecured to each end thereof and the bulkheads are wedged between thecontainer side walls in an upright condition adjacent the end wall ofthe container and adjacent the door opening to maintain the bag memberin a generally open condition.

5. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a container as recitedin claim 3, wherein the bulkhead is positioned within the container inan upright condition such that the bulkhead end portions frictionallyengage the container side walls and permit displacement of the bulkheadlongitudinally of the container due to shifting of the bulk cargo duringloading or transport of the container.

6. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a container as recitedin claim 3, wherein the bulk cargo is evacuated from the liner bagmember by vacuuming.

7. The method of transporting bulk cargo as recited in claim 3, whereinthe bulk cargo is evacuated from the liner bag member by opening thecontainer door, breaking a sealed opening in the bulkhead and tiltingthe container.

8. Themethod of transporting bulk cargo as recited in claim 7, andfurther including the step of positioning a support adjacent thebulkhead for supporting the flexible bulkhead and the load transmittedto the bulkhead during tilting of the container.

9. The method of transporting bulk cargo as defined in claim 3, whereinthe liner bag member is secured to the container'walls by adhesive.

10. The method of transporting bulk cargo as defined in claim 3, andfurther including evacuating air from within the bag member afterloading of the bulk car 0.

l. The method of transporting bulk cargo as de med in claim 3, andfurther including the step of sealing the bulkhead opening beforetransporting the container.

12. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a container having sidewalls, an end wall, a bottom, and a rear opening normally closed by atleast one door comprising the steps of; placing a disposable,lightweight, cargo liner including a flexible bag member having at leastone flexible bulkhead secured thereto, within a container, placing thebag member in the container while positioning the flexible bulkheadadjacent the door opening such that the forces applied by the bulk cargowithin the liner will be transmitted to the bulkhead which yields andengages the rear door to apply the forces directly to the containerdoor, loading the liner with a predetermined amount of bulk cargo byforcing the bulk cargo through an opening in the flexi ble bulkheadtransporting the container and contents to a location, and unloading thecontainer at said location.

1. Apparatus for transporting bulk cargo comprising a container havingwall means defining a door opening and door means secured to said wallmeans, liner means positioned within said container for receiving thebulk cargo, including a flexible, hollow bag having at least one openend and means for closing said open end, means for releasablypositioning said liner between said container wall means for maintainingsaid liner in an opened condition therein during loading and unloadingof said liner means, and displaceable means for supporting saidcontainer and said liner means during unloading of the bulk cargotherefrom, said closure means comprising a flexible, lightweight,bulkhead for transmitting the cargo load directly to said supportingmeans.
 2. Apparatus for transporting bulk cargo as defined in claim 1,wherein said supporting means includes a tiltable loading platformhaving a structure for abutting said flexible bulkhead for receivingforces applied to said bulkhead by said bulk cargo.
 3. The method oftransporting bulk cargo within a container having side walls, an endwall, a bottom, and a rear opening normally closed by at least one doorcomprising the steps of; simultaneously placing a disposable,lightweight, cargo liner including a flexible bag member having at leastone flexible bulkhead secured thereto, within a container, placing thebag member in the container in a generally opened condition whilepositioning the flexible bulkhead adjacent the door opening such thatforces applied by the bulk cargo within the liner will be transmitted tothe bulkhead which yields and engages the rear door to apply the forcesdirectly to the container door, loading the liner with a predeterminedamount of bulk cargo by forcing the bulk cargo through an opening in theflexible bulkhead, transporting the container, liner and bulk materialto a designated location, and evacuating the bulk cargo from within theliner while maintaining the positioning of the bag member within thecontainer.
 4. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a containeras recited in claim 3, wherein the flexible bag member has a flexiblebulkhead secured to each end thereof and the bulkheads are wedgedbetween the container side walls in an upright condition adjacent theend wall of the container and adjacent the door opening to maintain thebag member in a generally open condition.
 5. The method of transportingbulk cargo within a container as recited in claim 3, wherein thebulkhead is positioned within the container in an upright condition suchthat the bulkhead end portions frictionally engage the container sidewalls and permit displacement of the bulkhead longitudinally of thecontainer due to shifting of the bulk cargo during loading or transportof the container.
 6. The method of transporting bulk cargo within acontainer as recited in claim 3, wherein the bulk cargo is evacuatedfrom the liner bag member by vacuuming.
 7. The method of transportingbulk cargo as recited in claim 3, wherein the bulk cargo is evacuatedfrom the liner bag member by opening the container door, breaking asealed opening in the bulkhead and tilting the container.
 8. The methodof transporting bulk cargo as recited in claim 7, and further includingthe step of positioning a support adjacent the bulkhead for supportingthe flexible bulkhead and the load transmitted to the bulkhead duringtilting of the container.
 9. The method of transporting bulk cargo asdefined in claim 3, wherein the liner bag member is secured to thecontainer walls by adhesive.
 10. The method of transporting bulk cArgoas defined in claim 3, and further including evacuating air from withinthe bag member after loading of the bulk cargo.
 11. The method oftransporting bulk cargo as defined in claim 3, and further including thestep of sealing the bulkhead opening before transporting the container.12. The method of transporting bulk cargo within a container having sidewalls, an end wall, a bottom, and a rear opening normally closed by atleast one door comprising the steps of; placing a disposable,lightweight, cargo liner including a flexible bag member having at leastone flexible bulkhead secured thereto, within a container, placing thebag member in the container while positioning the flexible bulkheadadjacent the door opening such that the forces applied by the bulk cargowithin the liner will be transmitted to the bulkhead which yields andengages the rear door to apply the forces directly to the containerdoor, loading the liner with a predetermined amount of bulk cargo byforcing the bulk cargo through an opening in the flexible bulkheadtransporting the container and contents to a location, and unloading thecontainer at said location.